The Geminid meteor shower occurs as Earth passes through a string of space debris, including rock and ice, from an extinct comet called 3200 Phaethon. This happens every year in mid-December.

This meteors fly into our atmosphere from the constellation Gemini, from which they get their name.

The Geminid meteor shower is generally known as the liveliest of the year, producing up to 120 meteors per hour, which "can be seen from almost any point on Earth," according to NASA astronomer Bill Cooke.